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“What did Yin Chu do to deserve this punishment?”

“Master Hong Feng must be furious with him.”

“I would rather choose death than to fight a damn Terran for my own position.”

I played it all off with [Indifference] but I could sense Yin Chu was feeling anything but indifferent about the situation. He could probably hear the disparaging remarks as clearly as I could and the scowl on his face confirmed it. His slate gray eyes pierced mine with a malevolence rivaled only by the well of anger and Dark Frenzy building within his soul.

“I don’t know who you are…” He spoke slowly as he addressed me, sizing me up with disdain as he caressed the apple-sized burn mark on the side of his cheek. “…or what scheme you used on Master Hong Feng to arrange this mockery, but you will pay for it with your life.”

I gave him a smile. “Guess that means a friendly match is out of the question?”

Breath whistled through his nostrils as his anger peaked, his hands balling into fists. “I will take much pleasure in spilling your blood across this floor.”

The bastard seemed to mean every word of it too, anger and indignation pouring from him. The more I looked at him though, the more a strange familiarity crept into the back of my mind. I didn’t know this guy from Adam, but he reminded me of someone. The shaggy blond hair, dark brows, the red robes. And then like something out of a comedy sketch it came to me and I nearly burst out laughing.

“Holy shit, you’re Ken from Street Fighter!”

The unfamiliar Terran phrases made him twist his face in incomprehension, which made it all the more funny to me.

“What did you just call me?” he said, irritated.

I didn’t get to respond as Hong Feng began shouting from atop the platform.

“Listen carefully!” he said. “The rules for this engagement are simple. No weapons, as I do not wish this match to end prematurely, but if weakness dictates, a death is more than permissible.”

Damn. Hong Feng wasn’t playing around either, I thought. Shit just got serious.

“May fate smile on the victor,” Hong Feng said as he raised a single hand in the air for us to start. “Prepare!”

Yin Chu lowered into a fighting stance, forearms poised high like a kickboxer. I did the same but felt nowhere near comfortable. The basic manual covered some unarmed stances, but they were little more than survival techniques for when you were disarmed.

This guy probably had a whole unarmed repertoire up his sleeve.

The [Odds were Against Me] already.

I channeled the Frenzy spewing from the technique into my reflexes and readied my [Iron Skin] technique, preparing for what could potentially be an ass-whooping of a lifetime. As if to emphasize the fact, Yin Chu’s fists suddenly ignited into blue flames, covering them like a pair of boxing gloves.

“I will make your death an example,” Yin Chu said. “No one challenges me and lives.”

I gave him a smirk of [Indifference]. “Do your best, Streetfighter Ken.”

His anger shot through the roof just as Hong Feng’s hand dropped.

“Commence!”

A torrent of blue flames blinded me as Yin Chu leapt forward with a roundhouse kick. I barely had time to raise my arm in defense before the flames hit me, searing me with white-hot pain. A second later his actual heel hit my forearm, and while I managed to get off my [Iron Skin] technique in time, it did little to stop the force behind it. My Stage Five, Frenzy-reinforced bones fractured as the simple kick sent me flying across the concrete, tumbling end over end.

Hot damn that hurt!

I cried out curses as my body bounced hard three times before finally rolling to a stop. I barely got my bearing, ignoring my fractured arm to roll to my feet when a knee from above slammed into my chest.

“Oof!”

“Pathetically slow!” Yin Chu shouted into my face, right before planting his fist into it.

The back of my head hit the concrete so hard it sent spiderweb cracks radiating outwards. I saw stars, my vision tunneling as he pounded my head like a jackhammer. Sheer survival instinct kept my [Iron Skin] and [Iron Core] techniques going, but any more and I was going to pass out.

“No technique! No skill! No strength!” he kept shouting with each punch. “Why are you even here?”

Time seemed to slow as I drew within myself. I shouldn’t have thrown shade at this guy with that Streetfighter Ken remark. It made me think less of him, and that was proving to be a painful mistake. This guy was probably on Hein’s level or Zu Tien’s at least.

The thought fueled my [Odds Against Me] and combined with overwhelming pain, my Frenzied Flame erupted like a volcano, fueling my body with fresh Frenzy. I flash compressed it into liquid form and channeled it directly into my veins.

“Get the hell off me!” I bellowed as I pushed him away with two palms and both feet. He flew like a rag doll, a look of incomprehension flashing across his face. I sprung to my feet, surging with energy, my [Pain Soothes the Frenzied Flame] technique already mending my forearm.

Yin Chu landed on his feet a good thirty feet away. The sect members gave us more room, backing away, but I could feel their stares of interest now. Apparently, that beating I’d just received was not one they expected me to bounce back from.

It was only then that I realized that my beard and part of my shirt had been singed by his fire-encased fists. My ruined beard irritated me more than the shirt. I fueled my anger into Frenzy as I slowly removed the garment to reveal my scarred torso, boosting my presence with [Fear the Flame].

“You’re gonna pay for messing up my beard, Ken.”

The weaker sect members stepped back further from me as my Fear effect caused their insides to turn to jelly. I lapped up the free Frenzy to boost my levels even further. Even from Yin Chu I could sense some apprehension now, but that seemed to only strengthen his resolve as his dark brows lowered over his eyes in a scowl.

“So, you have some strength,” he said patronizingly. “But a dumb ox is no match for a tiger. I won’t go easy on you this time.”

He flew at me again, bursts of flames streaking from his palms. I used my martial forms to avoid them, but he was far quicker than I expected. I screamed in pain as the searing bursts of flames scorched my bare skin. My Body Refinement level should have made me immune to them, but clearly this wasn’t normal flame I was dealing with now.

Yin Chu kept his distance from me, peppering me with more fireballs as he danced about in a circle. Then, with a leap, he hung in midair for a second as an image of an eagle formed from the blue flames about him.

“[Fire Bird’s Descent]!”

Yin Chu shot across the room at me with a flying kick, blue flames blazing.

I dodged to the side with my instincts, my muscle memory automatically executing my forms, but it wasn’t enough. The impact of his attack set off an explosion that engulfed me in flames and sent me flying backwards off my feet. Yin Chu tagged me with four more blows before I even hit the ground, each one enough to nearly shatter my bones.

I kept my composure, tumbling as my back hit the ground and rolled to my feet. Ignoring the pain, I launched right back at him with a furious punch, but the bastard avoided it with a laugh.

“Untrained! Undisciplined!” He punished me with a vicious slap across my back. “Go back to your flea-ridden kennel, you dog!”

He punctuated the last word with a fiery kick that left a footprint-shaped burn mark on my chest. My body slammed into the floor again and Yin Chu followed up with more kicks to my side. Blood filled my mouth as my [Iron Core] technique began to give way. This was feeling like my first fight against Zu Tien all over again. I was outmatched in skill with only my brute strength and the resilience of my Frenzy keeping me alive.

Still, I’d won then. I could do so now.

I forced myself to get back up, only to be outdistanced by Yin Chu again as he threw more flames at me. The battle wore on and my vision began to tunnel from internal blood loss as I weaved between the attacks, dodging less than half of them. Then from nowhere Yin Chu suddenly appeared at my side and brought his foot down on my head with a flaming hatchet kick.

“[Fire Hawk’s Beak]!”

I blacked out for a moment and then came to on the ground. Blood dripping from my wounded head clouded my vision as all sound disappeared from the world, save the constant ringing in my ears. I was faintly aware that Yin Chu was still kicking me, only the solid thuds of pain in my side confirming I was still in a fight for my life.

My Frenzy began to wane, my power slipping from me, my body burned and shattered.

As the tides of the battle clearly turned, the Fire Bird members became more bold in their predictions of my demise, some of them laughing and pointing while others just shook their heads.

“It was not a punishment after all!” one of them shouted. “Master Hong Feng has rewarded Yin Chu with the core of this savage Terran beast, even if it is only a dog!”

That brought a cackle of laughter to the crowd and from my vantage on the ground I could see the look of disgust on Hong Feng’s face. Whether it was from my performance, or his disciple’s comments, I wasn’t sure. Perhaps both.

“I’m going to burn you alive,” Yin Chu said as he raised his flaming hand high above his head while standing over me, his fingers spread wide and curled. “You have no place within our sect. Remember that when you pass on to your next life.”

He drove his fingertips deep into my chest, right up to the knuckles.

“[Phoenix Talon]!”

White-hot pain lanced through me as he set my insides on fire. I bellowed with unbridled shock and agony, my mind coming undone. He was killing me.

Images of my family flashed through my head as my life drained away.

Was this it?

Was I done?

Loss and regret filled me.

I hadn’t avenged them.

I hadn’t freed my planet from these sick and cruel invaders.

As my vision darkened, all I could see was my Flame.

Waning.

Growing smaller.

Words from the orb ran through my mind.

Know this, kindled one. A Berserker can never back away from a challenge, or an injustice which ignites one’s Flame. Even if victory is unlikely, press forth, for even in defeat, survival is never your aim. The destruction of your enemy is all that matters.

That’s right…I thought…I wasn’t done yet.

The empire still lived.

And I still needed to destroy it.

And this insignificant little piece of shit was standing in my way!

My Frenzied Flame exploded into new brightness as something opened up inside of me, the lashing tongues shifting into more blue than yellow now.

My eyes flashed open to see Streetfighter Ken’s half-burned face leering into mine.

“Die!” I shouted and slammed my forehead into his nose with a headbutt.

The blow was enough to knock him back and I sprung to my feet with renewed energy grabbing him by the throat on the way up. I held him like a child, his feet kicking. Pure hatred and rage coursed through my veins like never before as Yin Chu became the mortal embodiment of the entire Yee empire within my eyes.

The source of all my loss…my suffering and pain.

“I will destroy you. One by one, if I have to. No matter how long it takes. We will be free of you. Forever!”

Yin Chu struggled to breathe much less speak as I clenched his windpipe, but the look on his face was clear. Total incomprehension. Both for what I’d said and for how I had somehow gained the upper hand. If Hong Feng wanted to see a demonstration of my power, then he was going to get it now.

I funneled liquid Frenzy into a technique I had only practiced before.

[Mark of the Giant], I thought as a vision of Threja flashed into my head.

Slowly, Yin Chu’s feet lifted even further from the ground as my hand grew to engulf not just his throat but his entire neck. As I grew, new skin replaced my charred and burnt flesh with fresh scars. I wasn’t sure how much I’d grown, perhaps only a few inches. Not enough to be truly noticeable to the cultivators perhaps, but it was enough of a change for their subconscious to register my dominance on a primal level.

And it scared the hell out of them.

The sect members were literally pissing themselves with fear, but I wasn’t the only one causing that now. Yin Chu was flapping and flailing like a fish on a hook, both hands clutched around my fingers, desperate to pry them apart. His eyes bulged as he went into his death throes, his blue flames growing wild. They lashed ineffectually against the strength of my newly enhanced Flame, but some of his weaker comrades perished in the extreme heat as the cultivators ran for cover.

I grinned into Yin Chu’s face as the Demon took control.

“Nice knowing you, Ken.”

I clenched my fist closed, crushing Yin Chu’s neck with a sickening snap. The flames ceased immediately as his flailing body went limp in my grasp.

Silence reigned as my bloodlust triggered, filling me with more hatred and rage.

I dropped Yin Chu’s body unceremoniously to the ground, the same as Threja did with that first Fire Bird member she’d killed, and I felt a sudden kinship with her now.

I’d revealed my power completely as she had—and I didn’t care.

Because eventually, I was going to kill all of these guys.

I released a bellow of anger as I absorbed the fear in the room and stomped on Yin Chu’s head. My heel hit like an explosion going off, his skull bursting like a watermelon beneath my foot as spiderweb of cracks shattered the floor.

A deafening silence filled the room.

I looked down at what was left of Yin Chu and realized he was the first man I’d ever killed. And I felt damn good about it. So good I wanted to kill even more, my [Bloodlust] filling me with fresh Frenzy to burn.

I turned to the quivering Fire Bird members and grinned like a madman.

“Anyone else want a go?”

I said the words with [Struggler’s Resolve] and mixture of fear and lemonade I got back in return answered the question in full. I looked up at the walkway to where Hong Feng was staring down at me, a massive smile on his face. The sect members cowered away from me as I stepped towards him, whispers rising through their ranks.

“H-how did he kill Yin Chu so easily?”

“Is he a prodigy?”

“A beast core or demon core maybe.”

“Or a Berserker…”

There it was. Or suspected anyway. But if the lower disciples only suspected, then for the master it had to be confirmation. I looked up at Hong Feng and then bowed.

The sect elder laughed.

“It seems we have a decisive victor in this match,” Hong Feng said and then switched to a more formal tone. “This One has proven his worthiness to join our ranks. You, known as Chun, shall henceforth be a member of the glorious Fire Bird Sect. As we are born to the Flame so we die to the Flame.”

In unison, all the sect members repeated the phrase, bowing their heads solemnly as they did so. “As we are born to the Flame so we die to the Flame.”

“Death is your only release from this sect now, Outer Disciple Chun,” Hong Feng said. “Welcome to our cabal.”

Cabal? What the hell?

His words caused a sickness to fill my stomach and I wondered if I hadn’t truly sold my soul to the devil this time. Still, this was just a means to an end, I reminded myself. B-class citizenship and being able to legally protect my people was my only goal. But was it worth paying this price?

“As is our code,” Hong Feng continued. “What transpires within these walls, stays within these walls.” He then peered more closely at me. “No exceptions…Shen Ju!”

A man with long dark hair and a thin mustache stepped forward. “Yes, master.”

“See to the preparation of the bodies,” Hong Feng said and at the mention of bodies I counted at least a half dozen other Fire Bird members who had lost their lives thanks to Yin Chu’s fireworks show. “Then see to it that our new brother is clothed in a plain robe and send him to me. I must consider where he shall sit within our ranks.”

“Yes, Master Hong Feng,” the man Shen Ju said again with another bow.

Hong Feng then left, and Shen Ju began ordering around the other disciples, getting groups of them to carry out the grisly work of removing the corpses, which they carried down one of the large tunnels. A younger disciple finally handed him a bundle of clothing and once he picked me out amidst the chaos, he approached me with it.

“Put these on,” he said curtly as he shoved the plain brown robes in my arms.

I reacted to his disdain with [Indifference]. “Thanks.”

“Once you’re dressed go make your way to Master Hong Feng’s office.”

The guy barely looked at me as he spoke, which was what most of them were doing now. What lemonade I had sensed earlier had dried up, replaced by a building sense of loathing and resentment. I guessed having to clean up your dead buddies because of the new guy would have that kind of effect.

As I began to walk away, Shen Ju stopped me again, placing a hand on my chest and when I looked down, I saw him holding a thin six-inch blade to my stomach, just where my Dantian would be.

“Know this,” he said before I could do or say anything else. “The man you killed—Yin Chu—was my sword brother, sworn through spilled blood.”

“Is that right,” I said and then noticed that this was the same guy who had been sparring with Yin Chu earlier when I first arrived. “Well, I guess ole’ Ken had a Ryu, after all.”

“I do not know what ignorant words you speak,” Shen Ju said. “And I do not care, but as Yin Chu’s sword brother, I have sworn an oath of vengeance against you. Be you a member of this sect or not, I shall slay you for his murder.”

I looked down at the blade and chuckled with [Indifference]. “You going to do it with that?”

Shen Ju grimaced. “Keep up with your mirth, Terran. It will make it all the more satisfying when I finally carve that wretched smile off your face.”

With that, Shen Ju slipped the blade back into a scabbard and began to walk away.

“You’d better get in line, pal,” I called out after him. “There are bigger people than you who want to see me dead.”

Shen Ju stopped once more, glancing over his shoulder at me.

“Then prepare yourself,” he said. “For be it today, tomorrow, or a hundred years from now…I will kill you to avenge my brother. This is my blood-sworn pledge to you.”

As I watched him walk away, I could sense more targets being drawn on my back by the sect members around me—multiple glances of mistrust and disdain. The sight brought a smile to my lips.

Without struggle there can be no true growth, I recalled Threja’s words to me, their meaning solidifying within my mind. As my enemies sharpened their knives around me, my Flame burned all the more brightly.

The Struggler was going to a have a fine time surviving inside this sect indeed.